GOLDEN WORDS
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as
of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1: 14 NASV
"It seems, then," said Tirian, ... "that the Stable seen from within and the Stable seen from without are two different places." "Yes," said Lord Digory. "Its inside is bigger than its outside." 'Yes," said Queen Lucy. "In our world too, a Stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world."
— C. S. Lewis in The Last Battle (The Chronicles of Narnia).
December 1
"Life is too short to nurse one's misery. Hurry across the lowlands, that you may spend more time on the mountain-tops." Phillips Brooks. Depression is the pits, literally. When we are crammed into our own little world because of illness or grief, we see things through the wrong end of the
telescope. We need to hurry to the mountain with Jesus, and sit with Him as He tells us, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).
There on that blessed New Testament Sinai, He would tell us that our sorrow will turn into joy, and our tears will be wiped away. Come, let us rush through the lowlands of life to His elevation.
Pat Nordman ©
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Who said: "The spirit truly is
willing, but the flesh is weak."
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Previous question and
Answer:
Who said: "Is thy servant a dog that he should do this thing?".
Answer: Hazael, when told by Elisha of the life he was destined to live.
And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And
Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. |
Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions |
Spurgeon's Morning for December 1 |
Spurgeon's Evening for December 1 |
"Thou hast made summer and winter."-
Psalm 74:17
He who is true to his Word in the revolutions of the seasons of this poor sin-polluted
world, will not prove unfaithful in his dealings with his own well-beloved Son |
"O that men would praise the Lord for
his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." - Psalm 107:8
If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more
glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies-common as we frequently call them,
and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. |
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An
Ordinary Night
An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an "extra" on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed. The sheep would have been forgotten, and the shepherds would have slept the night away.
But God dances amidst the common. And that night he did a waltz.
The black sky exploded with brightness. ... Sheep that had been silent became a chorus of curiosity. One minute the shepherd was dead asleep, the next he was rubbing his eyes and staring into the face of an alien.
The night was ordinary no more.
The angel came in the night because that is when lights are best seen and that is when they are most needed. God comes into the common for the same reason.
-- Max Lucado in The Applause of Heaven. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 14. |
Christmas Quotation, Fact and inspiration.
Advent 1
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Today's Devotion
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But my mouth would encourage you; comfort
from my lips would bring you relief.
Job 16:5 (NIV)
| Almost by Cathy Vinson |
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There is no sadder statement than to say as King Agrippa to Paul, that he
almost was persuaded to believe. We can assume the process went no further than what is
recorded in Scripture.
What does it mean to "almost" believe? We know no one can create
spiritual hunger but God. He alone draws people, causes people to seek Him, reveals truth,
and convicts of guilt, righteousness and judgment. If this is at work in an individual, we
know we are seeing the handprints of God's activity within them.
But at this stage, the person still remains outside the promises of God. Almost
is not enough. "Once you were not a people...once you had not received mercy" (1
Pet 2:10), "you were once darkness..." (Eph 5:8). "Once" has not been
changed.
A vivid memory to my husband remains with him of the night before he
surrendered to the Lord. As some street preachers at a festival encountered his gang of
friends, one other friend stayed to hear. While the gang tried to drag the two away, his
friend consented to being pulled away. My husband will never forget the longing look on
his face as he looked back to the preachers talking to my husband. He was killed 3 1/2
months later as he drove drunk into an oil well. It is a look he can't forget, the look of
"almost."
You may have been interested, even stirred. This could not happen without God's
drawing (Jn 6:44). You may think you can stay or return to this point...only indefinitely.
Please make that step of your will. If you are stirred, God is doing His part.
May your story not be recorded as "almost." |
"Almost
you persuade me to be a Christian "
(Acts 26:28 ) |
| We know no
one can create spiritual hunger but God. He alone draws people, causes people to seek Him,
reveals truth, and convicts of guilt, righteousness and judgment. If this is at work in an
individual, we know we are seeing the handprints of God's activity within them.
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Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.
Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE
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